Write better charity adverts - Write better charity adverts

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Charisma supports the charity sector hire individuals across their organisation.

The majority of the sector's strongest candidates are passive, meaning they are not actively looking for work but could be tempted by the right opportunity.

I've built Charisma to help clients access the full market, not just those who happened to be looking that day.

A well-written and well-placed advert in today's market can deliver exceptional results.

I've created a guide below on how to write adverts that attract the very best charity leaders.

Hi, I'm Adam, CEO of Charisma Charity Recruitment

For over two hundred years, Church Mission Society has been reaching the people other organisations don't quite reach. Right now, that means backing close to 200 people in mission across 37 countries.

None of that happens on belief alone. It happens because someone turns belief into income, and income back into impact. That's you, across individual giving, trusts, major donors and communications, four disciplines that need to pull in the same direction.

This isn't about maintaining what's already working. You'll need to have led fundraising at this level before, and changed something, a strategy, a structure, a culture, and made it stick.

Somewhere in Oxfordshire tonight, an older person will go to bed without having spoken to another human being all day. That's the problem Age UK Oxfordshire exists to solve, one relationship, one visit, one phone call at a time. The Board is looking for Trustees who want to make sure the charity keeps getting that right, and keeps reaching the people who need it most.

We're particularly keen to hear from people with experience in HR, governance, adult social care, or lived experience of the issues older people face. But what matters most is good independent judgement and a genuine commitment to the role. The Board is actively working to broaden its diversity, so a wider range of backgrounds and perspectives is very welcome.

Be honest with yourself about the time first; quarterly meetings, about 2.5 hours each, alternating between virtual and in-person in Abingdon, plus roughly two hours of reading beforehand. Add in up to two away days a year and the AGM. It's not a huge ask, but it's a real one.

What you get back…a genuine seat at the table of a well-run local charity, working closely with the CEO and leadership team on decisions that visibly change older people's lives in your own community, not strategy in the abstract.

Leprosy is curable, and has been for decades. It still devastates lives, largely because of the stigma that surrounds it. The Leprosy Mission International has spent 150 years fighting to change that, and is now looking for an International Director to lead the next chapter.

This is global leadership in the fullest sense. You'll lead the International Office and a worldwide Fellowship of supporting and implementing members, some without their own local board, translating a 2025-2030 strategy into measurable impact for people affected by leprosy. You'll grow income and partnerships with multilateral agencies, strengthen unity across a genuinely diverse network of members, and make sure the voice of people affected by leprosy is heard, not just represented, across the Fellowship.

The honest challenge…uniting that many different partners, cultures and priorities around one shared mission takes real diplomatic skill, and you'll be doing it while holding financial stewardship and governance across members with very different levels of infrastructure.

You'll need to be a globally minded Christian leader, someone who can unite people around a shared purpose and turn vision into measurable results on the ground.

MUF takes the reach of one of the world's best-known football clubs and puts it to work in some of Greater Manchester's most disadvantaged communities, through education, leadership and personal development programmes that help young people fulfil their potential. The Foundation's board is now looking for new Trustees to help shape what comes next.

This is a genuine seat at the table; you'll fulfil the usual statutory duties, but more importantly, you'll bring judgement and expertise that sharpens the Board's decision-making on the issues that matter most to the communities the Foundation serves.

We'd love to hear from you if you can point to at least one of; strong business or commercial acumen, a track record of engaging diverse stakeholders and external partners to hit strategic and contractual goals, experience managing large budgets, or knowledge of public affairs, media or communications.

More than any one skill, we're looking for people who think strategically, work well in a team, and aren't afraid of constructive challenge when it's needed, driven by a genuine belief in what the Foundation does for young people and communities across Greater Manchester.

The British Motor Museum holds the largest collection of historic British cars and motor industry archive in the world: over 450 vehicles spanning 135 years, and two million archive items that tell the story of an industry and the people who built it. Last year, 200,000 visitors came through the doors. Now the Trust needs a Chief Executive who can take that legacy and turn it into sustainable growth.

You'll be accountable for the smooth running of the Museum and its Archive, but the real job is bigger than operations: maximising the charitable and commercial opportunities in front of you, hitting the Trust's ambitions, and being the public face of the Museum to visitors, partners and funders alike.

The honest challenge is balancing two identities at once, cultural institution and commercial enterprise, and making both work harder without compromising either. You'll need real financial fluency: budgeting, income generation, and a track record of growing revenue in a public, charitable or commercial setting.

Beyond the numbers, this role needs someone people want to follow; an authentic communicator who can inspire creativity across the organisation and bring a genuine commitment to cultural and community engagement.

Here's some adverts I have written for clients

Chief Executive, British Motor Museum

Trustees, Manchester United Foundation

International Director, The Leprosy Mission

Trustees, Age UK Oxfordshire

Fundraising Director, Church Mission Society

CLIENT RESULTS

Here is what clients have said about working with me

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Most charity adverts quietly talk good people out of applying. Here's the edit that fixes it - plus the Charity Job data behind it.

How to write a better charity advert